Lethal Tungsten Rain: US Precision Strike Missiles Pierced Buildings Hundreds Of Metres Away
US missile kills distant Iranian civilians.
An investigation by conflict monitor Airwars, corroborated by interviews with weapons experts and former defense officials, has found that a new US-made missile appears to have killed Iranian civilians well beyond its immediate blast site, raising concerns about the weapon's use near populated areas. Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), marketed by its manufacturer as a lethal, long-range and precise ballistic weapon that has prompted the US military to invest billions of dollars in updating its missile arsenal, was reportedly used in combat for the first time on the opening day of the Iran war, according to the Airwars review.
According to Airwars, three PrSM missiles struck the southern Iranian city of Lamerd on February 28, killing civilians as far as 50 meters (164 feet) from the point of detonation, with property damage extending more than three times that distance from the blast sites. The missiles reportedly detonated above a sports complex and two residential neighborhoods in the city, resulting in the deaths of at least 21 civilians, including seven children, according to figures provided by Iranian officials. Airwars said its analysis represents the first effort to systematically map the damage radius of the Lamerd strikes and estimate the lethal range of the specific weapon involved, offering a detailed picture of the human toll caused by the attack.
Photos, videos and satellite imagery of the aftermath in Lamerd, reviewed by Airwars and independently verified by The Associated Press, showed buildings, streets and vehicles extensively pockmarked in a blast pattern that weapons experts said is consistent with the PrSM's known capabilities. According to the report, the missile is designed to detonate midair and propel tens of thousands of dense metal pellets outward at high velocity in all directions, a mechanism intended to maximize the weapon's destructive radius against military targets but one that also significantly increases the risk of civilian casualties when used near residential or densely populated areas.
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The US military has confirmed firing PrSMs into Iran during the conflict but has denied that it targeted Lamerd specifically, leaving the intended target of the strike unclear. While an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound is located near the strike site, satellite imagery reviewed as part of the investigation showed no visible damage to that facility, further complicating efforts to determine what the missiles were actually aimed at and raising additional questions about the accuracy of the strike relative to any legitimate military objective in the area.
Six weapons experts consulted by the Associated Press, including two former military officials, said they believe PrSMs were responsible for the Lamerd strikes, and considered it unlikely that Israeli or Iranian weapons were used instead, based on the observed blast patterns and damage characteristics. Those experts uniformly cautioned that militaries should avoid deploying the PrSM near civilian population centers given its wide-area effects, which they said make it poorly suited for strikes in or near urban environments regardless of the intended target. Michael Meier, a former US Army adviser on the laws of war, was among those who raised pointed concerns about the weapon's suitability for use in populated environments, arguing that few justifiable scenarios would call for its use in a densely populated area.
The findings add to a growing body of scrutiny surrounding the conduct of the broader Iran war, particularly regarding the types of weapons systems being deployed and their potential for civilian harm when used in or near residential areas. As international monitors, journalists and independent experts continue to examine strikes carried out during the conflict, cases like the one in Lamerd are likely to fuel further debate over accountability, targeting decisions, and the adequacy of precautions taken to protect civilian populations during modern precision-guided missile operations, particularly as newer weapons systems like the PrSM see expanded use in active combat zones.
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